And indeed, Chevy already had such a model in its range in the 1920s, which followed the trend that followed (mid-1930s) – on truck platforms to go over - but had to give way. The basic idea of turning a passenger car into a commercial vehicle is almost as old as the automobile itself. Unlike a regular pickup, the El Camino was built on a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and truck bed into the body. The El Camino was a pickup-style passenger car that combined the dramatic styling of Chevrolet cars of the time with a Half-Ton pickup. The Chevrolet El Camino (Gen.1) is a coupe utility vehicle that was produced and marketed from 1959 to 1960. Since the early 1970s, an identical sister model was sold by the General Motors brand GMC under the name Sprint, later as the Caballero.Ĭhevrolet El Camino - 1st Generation (1959-1960) The name comes from Spanish and means "the way". After ’74 there would be no more four-speed manual transmission offered (until a brief return in the fifth-generation ’78-’80 Camino) and the 454 engine got the bum’s rush from Chevy intermediates in March of ’75 – this example is bumping up against the beginning of the end.The Chevrolet El Camino was an open-bed pickup truck produced by the American car manufacturer General Motors under the Chevrolet marque from 1958 to 1960 and again from 1964 to 1987. Yes, it needs some work but this is a great find nevertheless. Nevertheless, a 454 could still pull a stump or two. Also, note the tachometer, the red-line, which has faded to a white line, is 4,750 RPM – that’s how smog motors slow rolled in those days. The instruments are a bit cloudy and the odometer reflects 4,800 miles but it’s an irrelevant measurement at this point. The seat’s condition speaks for itself and the last-year-employed nylon loop carpet has faded to a dirty brown but the SS badges are still affixed to the still existing door panels. Interestingly, this Chevy has a four-speed manual transmission, complete with a non-original T-handle equipped shifter, but no center console and a bench seat – not a common arrangement. Typically, this El Camino’s outboard front filler panels have disintegrated away. The ramming-speed front bumper, used on both the Chevelle and El Camino, required a sizable plastic filler to “mind the gap” between the body and the bumper’s rear edge. Beyond the surface corrosion, there is some rust-through percolating in both lower fender legs. It’s the same issue with the cargo bed though it still shows as solid, and is probably reflecting this Camino’s original blue shade. The paint has flaked off, and its exposed flanks are sunburned to the point of surface rust. The exterior, while appearing to be mostly solid, has done a turn or two in the box with the hot, southwestern sun. The only thing noted is the lack of a drive belt for the A/C compressor. The engine in this example looks amazingly original and non-modified. The owner of this example states that the 245 net HP engine, “ Runs and drives will need to be trailered“. The owner of a Chevrolet dealership where I worked those two years ordered up a small fleet of so-equipped El Caminos in the spring of both years because he knew they were popular – and they did sell by mid-summer. What did sell in ’73, and ’74 was a Camino equipped with a 454 CI V8 engine and a four-speed manual transmission – and that’s how this example is outfitted. But it’s the previous generation (’68-’72) that gets most of the market attention. Why no love for this generation? Could it be the expanded girth with its jutting 5 MPH jaw? The Clean Air Act loss of power? Or just the general styling? Hard to say but according to 71K copies saw the light of day for the ’73 model year an absolute one year, high watermark. This unusually configured El Camino SS is located in Pahrump, Nevada and is available, here on Barn Finds Classifieds for $6,900. Is it possible that the fourth-generation Chevrolet El Camino (’73-’77) is the Rodney Dangerfield of Caminos? You know the one that gets no respect? Well, if that’s the case, this specific 1973 example is due a tip of the hat as a result of how it’s equipped.
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